Trump Vows, if Elected, U.S. Will Recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital

During a recent meeting, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that if he is elected, the U.S. will recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

According to Yahoo News, Trump met with Netanyahu on Sunday at Trump Tower in New York. Trump told Netanyahu that the U.S. would "recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of Israel” under a Trump presidency.

Currently, few countries, including the U.S., recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Most countries have their embassies in Tel Aviv.

Israelis and Palestinians both claim Jerusalem. Palestinians argue that East Jerusalem should be the capital of the Palestinian state they want to establish in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Trump reportedly agreed with Netanyahu that peace in the conflict could only be achieved when the Palestinians recognize Israel as a legitimate country and cease resorting to violence.

Trump and Netanyahu also reportedly discussed measures for keeping Israelis safe, including Israel’s border fence which Trump compared to his own plan to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. They also discussed issues of terrorism, the Iran nuclear deal, and U.S. military assistance to Israel.